Analysis by Andrei Lutenco, Dan Nicorici and CPR Moldova team published in FES/APE newsletter on foreign policy

Recent amendments to the 2025 State Budget Law known as “Budget + Plus” have sparked a wave of criticism from the opposition and civil society. These were mainly related to the lack of transparency and public participation, which CPR and other organizations pointed out in an earlier public statement. Equally worrying is the lack of economic rationale for the project, as well as the electoral nature of the initiative. In this analysis we will explain why the non transparent and non-participatory adoption of the package was a missed opportunity to bring citizens closer to the authorities and European integration.

Lack of transparency

The Government announced the “Budget + PLUS” on April 3rd, presenting it as “the largest financial package allocated by the Government of the Republic of Moldova for investment and economic growth”. The package is worth 8 billion MDL.

The draft law no. 310/2024 for amending the Law on the State Budget for 2025 was approved by the Government and registered in the Parliament on the same day. Also on the same day the draft was published for public consultation, with a deadline for comments until April 8th - four days, two of which were rest days. However, on April 7th, the draft had already been voted in the first reading by the Parliament, and on April 17th it was voted in the second reading. The National Anti Corruption Center’s anti-corruption expert’s report on the draft recognizes that the process of its promotion did not comply with the requirements for ensuring transparency of decision-making as stipulated by law, and the summary of objections and proposals includes only two mentions of “no objections” from two public entities.

The way in which this draft has been promoted and adopted contravenes both national and EU principles of transparency and public participation. The Law on Transparency in Decision-Making obliges the authorities to consult the public at least 15 working days in advance on any initiative that has an impact on the economy, fundamental rights, the environment or quality of life. The “Budget+ PLUS” directly affects state revenues, public investment and social priorities, and is therefore exactly the kind of law that requires broad and rigorous consultation.

Budget laws are not excluded from public consultation, and the Law on Public Finances and Fiscal Financial Responsibilities stipulates that draft normative acts in the field of public finances are subject to public consultation, and budgets are prepared, approved and administered in a transparent manner, based on transparent procedures and comprehensive budget information, prepared and presented to the public in a clear and accessible manner.

According to the principles of public participation, the more important a draft policy or decision is for society, the more effort and time should be allocated to its consultation, not the other way around. As announced by the Government, the draft under discussion foresees major energy, economic and social allocations – compensations and aids (for citizens and businesses in certain sectors), investments in infrastructure (roads, courtyards and markets) and economic incentives. It was not only the appropriateness of these interventions but also the way in which they were to be implemented that needed to be discussed with citizens.

A missed opportunity

In recent years, in the context of the process of accession to the European Union, the Government has committed itself to improving the participation of civil society in the country’s decision-making 10 Monthly newsletter, No.4 (230), April 2025 Monthly newsletter, No.4 (230), April 2025 11 processes. One of the 9 measures requested by the European Commission for the opening of the accession negotiations of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union was to increase the involvement of civil society in decision-making processes at all levels, and meaningful participation of civil society in decision making processes was a recommendation of the 2024 Enlargement Report.

Improving citizens’ participation in decision-making processes is one of the objectives of the National Civil Society Development Program (2024-2027) and is targeted by several measures in the Action Plan for Open Government (2023-2025). CPR together with other civil society organizations participated in the development of methodologies, guides, draft regulations and training modules for both citizens and authorities, as well as in the improvement of the relevant legal framework to contribute to these efforts.

However, the extent to which the Government is serious about its commitments to improve citizens’ participation in decision-making needs to be assessed not by the number of statements and planning documents, but by the facts – how the Government involves citizens in concrete decisions, especially those with significant impact. The “Budget + Plus” process was an opportunity to demonstrate public participation in practice. Citizens and their associations could be invited to have their say on the priorities for intervention and how the money was to be managed (what kind of infrastructure and where, what needs of citizens, including vulnerable groups, which businesses were to benefit from public funding).

Apart from the fact that the proposed allocations would almost certainly better reflect citizens’ needs, they would also be more readily accepted by citizens. A genuinely consulted budget would be less susceptible to accusations of “electioneering” and would increase confidence in the act of government.

The new document on the Economic Growth Plan, signed by Moldova and the European Commission, also mentions the principles of consultation and inclusiveness in the adoption of decisions related to budgets and EU aid, which the authorities have undertaken to respect. Thus, Article 4 mentions the principles of ‘regular and timely consultations’ throughout the implementation of the plan and the need to include LPAs, social partners and civil society in the participatory process. And one of the objectives of the mechanism, set out in Article 3, is to increase access to information, the involvement of civil society in decision-making processes and to support transparency. Adopting the draft without consultation clearly contravenes these objectives. An important aspect to which the European Commission draws attention is the inclusion of vulnerable groups and minorities. These stakeholders should have had at least 10 days to provide recommendations and suggestions, as part of the budget directly concerns them.

Lack of inclusion

The adoption of the “Budget + PLUS” in the absence of genuine public consultations was a missed opportunity to strengthen citizens’ involvement in the decision-making process and to demonstrate the real commitment of the authorities to European values of transparency, participation and involvement, as enshrined in both national plans and laws and in agreements with the EU. The reform and growth mechanism for the Republic of Moldova must be implemented with the involvement of all stakeholders – citizens, LPAs, civil society – in order to better align the budget to the needs of the population.